应用语言学学术英语中标记名词的研究_英语论文

A Corpus Study of Signaling Nouns in Academic English of Applied Linguistics

摘要

标记性名词又称壳名词，自20世纪90年代开始受到学者们的广泛研究。这类名词在学术写作中具有极强的构建能力，并且能在语篇中起到衔接上下文的作用。由于它使用的频率较高，对学术论文写作有着较强的影响，因此对其展开深入的研究是很有必要的。尽管先前的学者们都对标记性名词作了许多研究，但是基于语料库对应用语言学领域的学术英语写作的研究乏善可陈，所以本研究对标记性名词的使用或许有参考与借鉴的意义。

本研究采取了定性研究、定量研究、文献分析法等方法，分析了标记性名词在应用语言学学术英语领域的使用频率、词汇语法实现形式、标记名词的作用。根据国内外的研究结果，参考后采用了Schmid与Flowerdew的研究框架，并且自建了语料库，从Wiley在线图书馆中选取了30篇应用语言学方面的文章，以此研究标记性名词在应用语言学学术英语领域的作用。

研究发现，在应用语言学语料库中，35个标记性名词中有6个标记性名词有着显著的频率，表明应用语言学更倾向与使用这6个标记性名词来展现连贯性与衔接性。其次，本研究还分析了上述6种标记性名词的词汇语法表现形式，根据Schmid与Flowerdew的研究框架，结果表明这6个标记性名词的后指形式高于前指形式。就在句中的词汇语法表现形式而言，其中article+N+of的形式最为常见，频率最高。最后研究了标记性名词的各种词汇语法表现形式在文中的作用，证明了标记性名词确实具有个性描述、概念建立、连接等作用。该研究有助于进一步了解对标记性名词的运用，有利于应用语言学学术英语写作，或许对今后标记性名词的教学与研究有参考价值。

关键词：标记性名词；词汇语法表现形式；学术英语写作；应用语言学

Abstract

Signalling nouns, also known as shell nouns, have been extensively studied by scholars since the 1990s. Such nouns are of great importance when constructing academic English writing in which it plays a cohesive role. Because of its high frequency of use, it has a great influence on the writing in the field of applied linguistics, so in-depth study is of great necessity. Although the previous study conducted by different scholars have made enormous contribution to the research of signalling nouns, the study of academic English writing in the field of applied linguistics is obviously not enough. As a result, the study may have implications for further investigation.

The study employs qualitative research, quantitative research and literature analysis in order to analyze the frequency of the signalling nouns and their lexical grammatical patterns in the field of applied linguistics. Based on the research taken at home and abroad, the study follows Schmid and Flowerdew’s framework. 30 published articles selected from Wiley online library are integrated to establish a corpus. 

The study found that there are 6 nouns that were the most frequent among all the 35 selected abstract nouns with cohesive function raised by Hinkel while cataophoric pattern is more frequent than the anaphoric one. Moreover, patterns like “article+N+of” occupied the biggest part among all the 4 lexical grammatical patterns. Finally, the study investigated into the three functions that signalling nouns play in the discourse, introduced by Schmid, namely characterization, temporary concept formation and linking function. 

This study may be helpful to the further research in the use of signalling nouns in the field of applied linguistics and may have implications to the teaching and learning of it.

Keywords: Signalling nouns, lexical-grammatical patterns, academic writing, Applied Linguistics

Contents

摘   要 3

Abstract 4

Acknowledgements 5

Chapter One  Introduction 8

1.1 Background of the study 8

1.2 Purpose and significance of the study 9

1.3 Organization of the thesis 9

Chapter Two  Literature Review 11

2.1 The definition of signalling nouns 11

2.2 Lexical grammatical patterns of signalling nouns 12

2.3 Function of signalling nouns 14

Chapter Three  Methodology 16

3.1 Research method and questions 16

3.2 Corpora used 16

3.3 Procedures 17

Chapter Four  Results and Discussion 19

4.1 Frequency of signalling nouns 19

4.2 Patterns of singalling nouns in applied linguistics articles 22

4.3 Functional analysis 26

4.3.1 Characterization 26

4.3.2 Concept formation 27

4.3.3 Linking function 28

4.3.4 Summary 28

Chapter Five  Conclusion 30

5.1 Major findings 30

5.2 Innovations and limitations 30

References 32